A Strawberry Cupcake
by lunaleth
Summary: It sits there. It sits there, on the table, tempting me. I can’t tear my eyes away, no matter how much I want to. LJ


**A Strawberry Cupcake**  
By Lunaleth

7.27.2008

It sits there. It sits there, on the table, tempting me. I can't tear my eyes away, no matter how much I want to.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. The plot, however, is mine. XD

* * *

This is Lily. This is my seventh year at Hogwarts.

I'm sitting alone at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall. It's getting late, and most of the students have already eaten and returned to their dormitories. Only a few are left, stragglers like me, scattered here and there throughout the long tables in the quiet, subdued hall.

I sigh, and return to the steak and kidney pie I was nursing after a hard day of work. I eat a few more bites, then push it away, uninterested. After many evenings of this, I want something new to taste. Some different. Something explosive.

The peaceful atmosphere is interrupted by the arrival of four Gryffindors, chattering and laughing loudly. I know who they are without even turning around. The wonderful Marauders (and please catch my sarcasm here), James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter, sit down a few seats away from me and pile their plates with food, still talking loudly. I spear a sausage on my fork, stare at it moodily, and take a small bite. Not very explosive at all.

As I chew slowly, a flash of pink catches my eye. I turn my head towards the Marauders, and there it is. It sits there, there by James Potter's right elbow, so infuriatingly innocent.

A strawberry cupcake.

No, I must amend myself. This isn't just ANY strawberry cupcake. It's the biggest, fluffiest, most succulent looking strawberry cupcake I've ever seen. Covered with creamy pink frosting and fresh strawberry slices, it seems to give off visible waves of delectable goodness. James Potter and Co. continues the talking and eating, so frustratingly oblivious to the heaven sent gift right within their reach.

But not within mine.

It sits there, on the table, tempting me. I can't tear my eyes away. I've always been partial to strawberries, and any cupcake that put itself within my reach never lasted for long. I stare at the cupcake longingly, the sausage all but forgotten, and imagine myself running over to James Potter, snatching away his delectable cupcake, and then going to some nice secluded spot, perhaps the top of the astronomy tower or an empty classroom, to savor it in bliss.

A voice a few seats down interrupts my fantasies.

"Hey Prongs, look what we have here," the notorious Sirius Black whispers loudly to James, putting on a great show of being secretive. "It looks like the oh-so-proper Lily Evans is staring right at you! And longingly, I might add."

James turns to look at me as Peter bursts into giggles. I turn away reluctantly from the cupcake and stare down at the table.

"You know, I bet I know what she's thinking about," Sirius continues his loud whispering. "I bet she's thinking about running over to you, snatching you away from this table, and going with you to some nice secluded spot, say the astronomy tower or an empty classroom, to savor your company in bliss."

I blush a startling shade of red, turning my head to glare at the offending idiot, who smiles innocently back at me. I notice with some surprise that James had the decency to turn red as well. Perhaps he isn't the shameless egomaniac he was in past years.

Said shameless-egomaniac-no-longer stands up and heads in my direction. I wouldn't have paid any attention to him at all had he not brought the cupcake along with him. As such, he does, and I stare at it avidly as he walks over to me with it in his hand and sits down.

"Sorry about that," James says, still slightly red.

James Potter, apologizing? I must be having cupcake-aroma-induced hallucinations. I glance at him, surprised, but then I turn my attention back to the strawberry cupcake sitting on the table. He must know how dangerous it is to put a strawberry cupcake within my grasp, and he probably has some wicked plan to devour it right in front of me. I discreetly pull out my wand under the table. If worse comes to worse, I could always use the Full-Body Bind Curse, but I don't want to resort to something that would put me in detention, even though the prize would be more than worth it. The Disarming Charm should do. I'll disarm him, grab the strawberry cupcake, and then run out before he can do anything. That would work, unless he has his wand ready to cast a Shield Charm around himself. Then I would have to resort to just taking it and running away before he notices. Like that would ever happen, since he has the reaction time of a Quidditch player and could stun me before I got away. I suppose I'll just have to try disarming him, even though I might not succeed. Or maybe I could—

"Hello? Lily?" James' concerned eyes look at me. "Are you alright? Maybe I should get you to the hospital wing, if you're not feeling well…"

"Oh no, I'm fine. Sorry about that. Just thinking." I answer. Just thinking about how to pull off a heist while under the hypnotic influence of a strawberry cupcake in my immediate vicinity. I smile innocently and prepare my wand.

James looks surprised for a second, then smiles back. "As I was saying…since you've been staring at my strawberry cupcake all evening, you can have it if you want." He slides the cupcake under my nose.

Shocked, I stare at him and his sudden act of generosity. Perhaps he has some ulterior motive. Perhaps there's a love potion concealed within, or maybe he's using the cupcake as leverage to get me to go out with him. (Merlin knows how many times he has unsuccessfully asked me out.) I poke at the lovely, smooth pink frosting suspiciously, getting a bit of it on my finger. The pull of the cupcake proves too strong as I put my finger in my mouth and close my eyes in bliss. I don't need heaven anymore.

"It's not poisoned, you know," James says, grinning and ruffling his hair. "I baked a bunch of extras this afternoon, so I decided to bring one down for dinner. You can have it if you want."

I open my eyes, surprised for the third time this evening. "You bake? You made this?"

James nodded, turning red. "It's a hobby of mine. I love baking things, especially strawberry cupcakes." Sirius, who has been hanging onto our every word, chortles. James glares at him, then turns back to me. "Well, I'd better go." He stands up to leave as I prepare to take a bite, ulterior motive or no. Though I must say that I find it cute that James Potter bakes. What a strange world we live in.

"Wait, that's it?" I surprise even myself with the words. "No ulterior motive, or trying to ask me out, or using the cupcake as leverage?" Most unlike James Potter. The world is becoming even stranger.

He stops and looks confused. "No. Did you want me to use the cupcake as leverage?" He smiles, and I find myself looking away from the cupcake to stare at his strangely fascinating smile instead. The world has officially gone crazy.

"Well…" I suppose I ought to thank him for the cupcake. I open my mouth. "I suppose I would be willing to give you a chance." Wait, did those words just come out of my mouth? Never mind crazy. Everything's going INSANE.

James looks surprised. No, that's a bit of an understatement. He looks astounded, and he slowly grins. "You…you serious?"

"Nah, he's sitting over there." I smile back. "But yes, I guess I wouldn't mind. Besides, if we got married, I could have strawberry cupcakes everyday for the rest of my life."

Sirius begins choking incoherently.

* * *

Author's Note: A short, random little piece I came up with after my friend told me she was obsessing over her strawberry cupcake. XD Yum.

Read and review please!

lunaleth


End file.
